COVER STORY

Making the Grade

by George Cartsonis

You could say that Nancy Joseph has done it all… Not only did she graduate from Oakland Community College’s Auburn Hills Campus with three associate degrees, she also put herself through the OCC Police Academy as a self-sponsored student.
Then, she was accepted as an officer by the Pontiac Police Department, serving for two years as a street officer. For the past five years she has worked in the department’s Video Services Unit, scripting, videotaping and editing a popular monthly program shown in Pontiac on Cable Channel 20 called “Frontline Police T.V.”
A graduate of Bloomfield’s Lahser High School, Nancy began her college education at Michigan State
University, majoring in telecommunications. In her sophomore year she decided to transfer to OCC’s
Auburn Hills campus where she
enrolled in a smorgasbord of subjects that interested her such as robotics, medical first responder, self defense, principals of supervision, photography, criminal law, and introduction to fire protection.
“The thing I love about OCC is the huge range of courses you can choose from” she says. “And at these prices, you can afford to take as many classes as you want.”
Eventually, Nancy wound up with a total of 118 credits, a 3.95 grade point average and OCC associate degrees (each summa cum laude) in liberal arts, electronics technology and microprocessor technology.
With her microprosessor training Nancy found employment troubleshooting fax machines for a couple
of years. But her exposure to police work as a student assistant in the MSU Public Safety Department, as well as a later stint as a law enforcement auxiliary volunteer with the Southfield Emergency Management Services Office, drew her back to the field of law enforcement. In 1995 she returned to the Auburn Hills Campus, this time paying her own way as self-sponsored student in the Oakland Police Academy.
While training at the academy was rigorous, Nancy relished the experience. “I used everything they sent
my way as productive” she says, “and I was willing to make a 100 percent effort.
“Nancy was a hard worker who applied herself and did well…the kind of person we like to see” recalls
OCC Coordinator of Police Training Dick Tillman.
Nancy likes to point out a common characteristic of her teachers at OCC – both in her regular classes and at the police academy. “They were all willing to put in extra time to help students succeed”, she says.
She particularly remembers a course in electronics drafting taught by the late Stan Kusmider. “It was
really rough going for me” she says, “but I’ve always been an aggressive learner, and he (Kusmider) stuck with me until I had it down pat.” Nancy received an A in that class – and in most of the others she took at OCC.
Before enrolling in the academy Nancy had never handled a firearm, but instructors coached her every day until she had raised her shooting skills to the required levels. Staff and faculty members also worked with her constantly to build up her physical strength and stamina. “I stand five foot two and
weighed maybe 105 pounds at the time, so it took quite a bit of work to get me up to speed” she says.
Nancy graduated from the police academy in late 1995 and was hired by the Pontiac Police Department
on April 1, 1996. The seven years that followed have been fulfilling, allowing her to make full use of her
talents and training. “I’m happy where I am” she says. “The department’s been good to me and I love
the people.”
For now, Nancy keeps busy producing “Frontline Police T.V.”, which recently aired its 50th edition. She
has produced thirty-six of those programs since she joined the video unit in 1998. “Frontline Police T.V.”
is shown on public access outlets throughout Oakland County. The 50th edition brought Nancy back to OCC’s Auburn Hills Campus, where she filmed and interviewed a group of British and Commonwealth police officers as they participated in training exercises at the college’s renowned Combined Regional Emergency Services Training (CREST) site last August.
What of the future? For someone with Nancy’s drive and brains the prospects seem unlimited. “Who knows?” she says. “I may go back to the road patrol to bring myself up to date on the latest police techniques, then pursue a position in supervision with the department.” But for now, Nancy likes what  she’s doing – and does it very well.

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